My bet, we're staying in Iraq

[MadHound]

"So if folks here are going to want us to have a presence, we're going to need to get on with it pretty quickly in terms of our planning," he added. "I think there is interest in having a continuing presence. The politics are such that we'll just have to wait and see because the initiative ultimately has to come from the Iraqis."

<http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/gates-some-us-troops-may-stay-if-iraq-wants/74356b455dcd4c548e2bc7096fc55da7>

Yep, given that the Iraqi defense forces are "weak", and that we still have geo-political interest in the region, and that al-Maliki is beholden to the US government and our troop presence, my bet is that we'll receive an "invitation" to stay. And of course, we will.

And the empirical madness will continue. More lives wasted, more of our wealth transferred to the MIC. Iraq has been such a fertile instrument for achieving these two objectives, the US is going to find it difficult to give up after twenty years.

[Divernan]

1. If we only had a Democratic president to get us out of that bloody quagmire!

Cause you know, a real Democratic president wouldn't cave to the Pentagon/MIC profiteers

[MadHound]

2. No, if we had a true liberal president,

Democrats have shown time and again that they're just as bloodthirsty and empire minded as 'Pugs. Vietnam, among other "excursions" are proof of this.

[xchrom]

3. +1

[xchrom]

4. we didn't build that ginormous embassy for nothin. nt

[davidthegnome]

5. May our children forgive us

Yes... I agree with you. We'll be in Iraq for a long, long time. Future generations will pay the cost just as we do.. and we just can't seem to stop it, no matter what we do.